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On
September 8, Chancellor Wang Wan of the Embassy of the People's Republic of
China to Japan visited the Soka International Women's Center in Tokyo to give a
lecture titled "Reflecting the Origins of China-Japan Friendship" to
an audience of 200 women.

The lecture was one of two held that
day celebrating the 45th anniversary and enduring significance of the "Proposal for Normalization of Sino-Japanese
Relations" made by Daisaku Ikeda, then President of the Soka Gakkai, at a
gathering of nearly twenty thousand members of the Soka Gakkai Student Division
on September 8, 1968.

In her lecture, Ms. Wang, who is also the wife of China's ambassador to Japan, H.E. Cheng Yonghua, described Mr. Ikeda's proposal as pioneering, coming at a time when relations between Japan and China were extremely difficult. She highlighted the four key recommendations put forward by Mr. Ikeda in his proposal: that Japan officially recognize the People's Republic of China and normalize relations between the two countries; that an official seat for China at the United Nations be restored; that the leaders of China and Japan meet; and that Japan promote economic and cultural exchanges with China. Ms. Wang affirmed that as long as there is continuous grassroots exchange between the two countries, even during difficult times in the relationship, friendship can be enhanced.

Mr. Shi Jun

The second commemorative lecture, given by Shi Jun, director of the China Cultural Center in Tokyo, focused on further developing Sino-Japanese friendship and was attended by 200 Soka Gakkai youth members at the Soka Gakkai Kanagawa Peace Center in Yokohama. Mr. Shi stressed the need to learn from history and emphasized that youth are key to developing the friendship between China and Japan.

To further commemorate the 45th anniversary of Mr. Ikeda's proposal, on September 8, Soka Gakkai also launched a Chinese-language website titled "The Eternal Legacy of Sino-Japanese Friendship and Daisaku Ikeda."